CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS, 1989 299

Nanga Parbat, Rupal Face Attempt and Tragedy. The members of our expedition were Hitoshi Sakurai, Nobuyoshi Sakurai, Iwao Ogasawara, Shinji Kobayashi, Tetusa Baba, Shinya Nakashima, Katsuyuki Kitamura, Masaki Akiba, Ms. Yukiko Fukuzawa, Ms. Masae Yoshino, Masanori Sam, Taro Tanigawa, Daisuke Shimizu and I as leader. On June 18. we got to Base Camp at 3650 meters on the Bazhin Glacier above Rupal. We established Camps I, II and 111 at 4500, 4500 and 5600 meters on June 23, July 1 and 12. On July 16, Tetsuya Baba was struck by lightning and badly injured. We called for a helicopter, but this was available only at the altitude of Base Camp. We carried him down, still alive for the next 48 hours, but he died when we reached 5250 meters. Mr. Baba’s parents and sister came to attend the funeral, which lasted until July 27. On the 28th, we began a second attempt. Sato, Akiba and I placed Camp IV at 6070 meters. On August 6, we reached 6250 meters on Rakhiot Peak. At that time, we received information that one of our female members had broken her leg between Camps I and II. There was also avalanche danger. I decided not to expose the group to further dangers.

KEIJIRO HAYASAKA, Tokyo Universin; of Agriculture Alpine Club

China-Southeastern China

Kang Karpo Attempt. Tom Hombein, Robert Hombein. Robin Houston, Brian Okonek, Robert Brown Schoene and I attempted Kang Karpo (Meili) in September. We followed the route we had previously explored in 1988 and established two camps above Base Camp. The other five members reached an altitude of 18,500 feet before being turned back by bad weather and deep snow.

NICHOLAS B. CLINCH

Kang Karpo (Meili) Attempt. Our expedition again attempted Kang Karpo, as it is known in the region, or Meili, as the Chinese call it. It was jointly organized by the Academic Alpine Club of Kyoto, the Chinese Mountaineering Associations of Beijing and Yunnan. The co-leaders were Dr. Kenji Soda and Yang Bi-Yu and I was deputy leader. There were I4 Japanese and I3 Chinese. We reached the village of Sinong on the west bank of the Langtsang Jiang (Mekong) at the beginning of October. Base Camp at 3850 meters was near the snout of the Shenchenbao Glacier. Abnormally bad weather, with heavy snow- falls, continued during most of October. It was only after 23 days that Camp I was established at 4660 meters. The following two weeks were spent in a struggle to lind the way to the upper basin of the glacier. The terrible weather and a shortage of time forced us to give up and return on November 24.

TOSHIAKI SAKAI, Academic Alpine Club of k&oto

Anyemaqen Attempt. When our expedition to Shisha Pangma was canceled by the authorities, Swiss Beatrice Am, Austrians Dr. Gunther Fasching and I

300 THE AMERKAN ALPINE JOURNAL 1990

decided to head for Anyemaqen. For a week in April we pedaled our mountain bikes from Xining through nomad country and over several 4000-meter passes. At Xiadawu we began a 60-kilometer trek with yaks. Winter conditions pre- vented the yaks from getting to our chosen Base Camp north of Anyemaqen. We placed a high camp at 5000 meters, hoping to make a new route over the north summit. Continuous snowstorms and cold. as well as difficult terrain in the upper part (crevasses and seracs), kept us from success. The other two got to 5700 meters just below the north summit.

BRUNO BAUMANN, &terreichischer Alpenverein

Cheru (Queer), Sichuan, 1988. A joint Japanese-Chinese expedition of Kobe University and the China College of Geology at Wuhan made the first ascent of Cheru (6168 meters, 20,237 feet; 31” 30’ N, 99” E). There were 8 Japanese and I2 Chinese. It took them three hours on September I 1 with 27 yaks to reach Base Camp at 3800 meters below the northeast face. On the 12th. they carried to Advance Base at 4150 meters. It took them two days to find the way to the glacier. Camps I and II at 4500 and 5200 meters were occupied on September I6 and 19. On September 2 I , Camp II was moved to 5250 meters and ropes were fixed on the snow slopes above. The first summit bid was cancelled by a heavy snowstorm. On September 23, four Japanese and four Chinese left Camp I1 and reached the west col. Very strong winds drove them back from the steep summit ridge. That same day other members made another camp at 5400 meters, where 14 spent the night. On September 24, Japanese Hironori Kitaguchi, Hisatake Funabara, Tetsuji Takeuchi, Ms. Naoko Sugimoto and Chinese Dong Fang, Zhang Zhijiang, Zhang Wei and Zheng Chao reached the summit. That same day, Japanese Mitsuru Kawabata and Chinese Ma Xinxiang, Meng Xinguo and Zhang Jun also got to the top. On the 25th two more Japanese, Daisuke Takechi and Hiroshi Hori, made it to the top. The route seems to have been mostly glacial with rock sections around icefalls. The honorary leaders were Yan Weiran and Kazumasa Hirai; overall leader was Chinese Hu Yansheng; climbing leaders were Japanese Hironori Kitaguchi and Chinese Zhu Sarong.

TSUNEMICHI IKEDA, Editor, Iwa To Yuki

Tibet

Everest Attempt. After their successful ascent of Dhaulagiri, on May 30 Oreste Fomo, Graziano Bianchi, Faust0 Destefani, Sergio Martini, Silvio Mondinelli and Claudio Schranz on May 30 left Kathmandu by bus for Kodari and traveled from there by jeep and truck to arrive at Rongbuk on June 2. They had originally hoped to climb the Japanese route on the north face but they changed their objective to the Great Couloir. They set up Advance Base, Camps I and Ii at 5400, 6100 and 7000 meters on June 7, 8 and 13. On June 14. Destefani and Martini hoped to set up Camp III at 7800 meters, but at 7500 meters the weather was so bad that they cached their loads and descended. The

CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS. I989

weather continued bad until June 21. A reconnaissance on June 22 showed the mountain out of condition. Bad weather continued and they left on June 30.

Everest Attempt. The members of our expedition were Mari Abrego, Victor Amal, Josema Casimiro, Antonio Ubieto, Miguel Lausin. Ignacio Cinto, Teodoro Palacin, Patxi Senosiain, Jose Garces. biaki Arregui, Jose Marciano, Jesus Gomez. Julio Benede. Orenzo Ortas, Jose Rebollo and I as leader. Base Camp was placed at 5200 meters on June 15. Taking advantage of good weather, we placed Advance Base at the foot of the North Col at 6400 meters on June 23, fixed ropes, and placed Camp I on the North Col at 7060 meters on July 4. After a dump was made the next day at 7500 meters, bad weather and snowfall interrupted activity until July 20. This dump was lost under deep snow. Camp II was established at 7800 meters on July 25. A first try for the summit got back only to Camp II before being stopped by bad weather. More storms prevented establishing Camp III at 8350 meters until August 25. On August 27, four climbers and a Sherpa set out for another summit attempt but had to quit at 8530 meters because of deep snow. A final try by two members on September 3 reached the same altitude, but the conditions were equally bad.

JAVI~R ESCARTIN, h4ontatiero.s de Aragcin, Spain

El~erest Attempt. The first Greek Himalayan expedition had as members Kostas Kanidis, Kostas Passaris, Nikos Louridis and me as leader and Bulgarian Dinio Georgiev-Tomov. We got to Base Camp at 5200 meters on July I6 and acclimatized for ten days. We established Camps I, II and III on July 26,27 and 28 at 5500, 6000 and 6400 meters. The weather turned bad. On July 3 Kanidis and I occupied Camp IV on the North Col but had to descend after two days of bad weather. The next ten days were bad. It was decided that Kanidis and Tomov should make an alpine-style try from 7 100 meters with one bivouac. They set out on August I8 with good weather but deep snow. They climbed to 8 IO0 meters but returned from that point.

STRATOS PARASKEVAIDIS, Athenian Alpine Club. Greece

Everest Attempt. Our Civilian-Military Expedition was composed of Cap- tains Alfonso Juez, Francisco Gam, Franc0 Pelayo, CCsar Alfaro. Pedro Exposito. Sergeants Pedro Aceredillo, Francisco Perez, Juan Orta, Domingo Hemandez, Eduardo Femandez, Avelino Mora, and civilians Dr. Joan Mar- tinez, Leo Vogue, Miguel Vidal, Maxim0 Murcia and me as leader. We had hoped to climb the North Col route. We set up Base Camp, Advance Base, Camps II (on North Cal), III and IV (below the Yellow Band) at 5 150, 6400, 7060, 7800 and 8350 meters on June 19, July 2, 4, 25 and August 17. The highest point reached was 8550 meters on August 27. The great quantity of snow hampered our movements above the North Col at all times.

SANTIAGO ARRIBAS, Lieutenant Colonel, Escuela Militar de Montaiia, Jaca. Spain

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Everest Attempt, Northeast Ridge. Though a large British team in 1988 succeeded in climbing through the Pinnacles, the major crux on the ridge, they did not continue on to the summit. Although the ridge between the Pinnacles and the summit has been done, ascending from the North Col, the climb of the entire northeast ridge has not been completed. Our group was made up of Americans Markus Hutnak, Tim Gage, Dr. Dick Walker, Kurt Fickeisen and me as leader and Britons Roger Mear and Paul Rose. We arrived in Kathmandu in late July and at Base Camp on August 12. Everest was whiter than I had ever seen it before. The snows had been heavy. Fickeisen, Hutnak and I. along with two of our four climbing Sherpas, established Advance Base below the northeast ridge on August 18. Two days later, we began fixing rope on “Bill’s Buttress,” the initial steep 3000-foot at&e that leads to less steep climbing higher up. This was an exhausting slog up unconsolidated deep snow. We were able, however, to fix most rope on rock sections that occasionally showed up through the snow. When at last we three reached the top of the buttress, the site of Camp I, our presence set off enormous avalanches on either side of the buttress, emphasizing the terribly unstable conditions that monsoon snows bring to the mountain. Camp I was supplied by early September, but several attempts by almost all team members to climb higher up the otherwise easy ground on the ridge was constantly frustrated by deep snow, windslabs, avalanches and exhausting climbing. In late September, we decided that we had absolutely no chance on the northeast ridge. A guided American expedition on the North Col route agreed to share the route with us. In early October, we were well established on the North Col. The monsoon snows were replaced by a new nemesis: high winds and bitter cold. On October 12. Hutnak and Gage made a summit bid, only to watch their tent rip to shreds at 26,000 feet. We left Base Camp on October 15.

GARY SPEER

Everest Attempt. This large expedition was organized by Frenchmen Claude Jaccoux and Michel Vincent. It had two guides, Erik Decamp and Jean Clem- enson, and a doctor, Corinne Beauvoir. There were I5 climbers, four of them women, and a film crew of two. I teamed up for all the trip with Veronique Perillat. The other two women were Chantal Mauduis and the Belgian Lut Vivijs. We arrived at Base Camp at 5200 meters on August I2 and placed Advance Base at 6400 meters on August 19. On September 2, Veronique and I were the first to reach Camp II at 7800 meters. There was much bad weather and snowfall. We tried for the summit in two groups on September 23. The first had to quit at 8000 meters and we in the second party at 7750 meters because of storm. On September 30, Wronique and I decided to give up because of windslab danger. One group remained on the mountain to try again. On October 3, Gallet and Asselin reached 8300 meters and Vincent got to 8200 meters.

ANNIE BEGHIN, Club A/pin Francais

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Everest Attemptsfrom the North. There were many attempts to climb Everest from Tibet in the post-monsoon period, but none were successful. Several are noted below separately. Groups were on the North Col route. Swiss Norbert Joos and Diego Wellig. South Tyrolean Hans Kammerlander and Czech Pave1 Dolecek climbed past the North Col and entered the Messner Couloir, getting to 8100 meters on September 25. American Mike Dunn led an expedition of Americans, Mexicans and Australians which got to 8600 meters on October 24. Four Italians under the leadership of Lorenzo Mazzoleni tried to climb the north face by the Japanese Couloir. On September 25, they reached their high point of 7500 meters. This same route was attempted in October by Japanese led by Yoshio Ogata. They got to 7800 meters. Chileans and Americans led by Dr. Juan Andrts Maramisio tried to climb the west ridge from Tibet. They got to 6200 meters on October 14. Americans included Keith Abell and Tim Purcell.

ELIZABETH HAWLEY

Everest Attempt. I was the leader of a l9-member expedition from Zagreb. We had hoped to climb the Australian route on Everest’s north side. We established Base Camp at 5200 meters, Advance Base at the junction of the Middle and West Rongbuk Glaciers and Camp I at 5560 meters on August 15, I7 and 20. By September 8, we had fixed rope up the right side of the Great Couloir and made a snow cave for I2 people. It took us the next 37 days to gain 600 meters. Bad weather. new snow and avalanches destroyed fixed ropes and camps. In all, fourteen climbers were caught by avalanches. Marjan Kregar and Slavko SvetiEii- were swept down 350 meters, but luckily escaped with broken ribs and a damaged knee. Only Ace Pepevnik climbed above Camp III at 7500 meters and reached 7900 meters. We gave up on October 19.

DARKO BERLJAK, Planinarski Suvez Zagreha, Yugosluvio

Everest Attempt and Acclimutization Experiment. An original idea I had in 1987 was able to be carried out in 1989 on the north-northeast ridge of Mount Everest thanks to a system worked out by the ARPE under the direction of Drs. Richalet and Hery. Consequently, I was able to be on the Tibetan side of Everest with Christine Janin, Fred Ancey, Michel Fauquet and Swiss Stephane Schaffter after practicing a new kind of acclimatization. This let us omit needing a period of acclimatization and to be able to climb onto Everest without a stay at Base Camp. Before our departure. we spent a week between the summit of Mont Blanc and the Vallot Observatory with medical tests and nights on the summit and then four days in a decompression chamber at simulated altitudes between 5000 and 8000 meters. We operated under the permission of Claude Jaccoux. We left France on August 27. Our excellent physical condition and the absence of headaches let us move as follows: Base Camp, Advance Base, North Col and Camp II at 5200,6400,7000 and 7800 meters on September I, 3.5 and 9. Snow and wind kept us from showing the real results of our acclimatization in our four

304 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL 1990

attemps to climb higher than 8000 meters. We hope to carry on these experi- ments again in 1990.

ERIC ESCOFFIER, Groupe de Haute Montagne

Everest Attempt. On August 20, Jan Harris and I arrived at the 5600- meter-high Rongbuk Glacier Base Camp. On the 24th, we placed Advance Base at 6400 meters at the foot of the North Cal. We established Camps I and II on the North Col and north ridge at 7000 and 7500 meters on August 28 and September 8. We made three attempts to regain Camp II between September I2 and October 8 in order to cross the north face to the Great Couloir. On October 14, Harris descended to Base Camp while I established Camp III at 7600 meters. 1 placed Camp IV the next day at 7800 meters half way across the face between the north ridge and the couloir. This camp was partially destroyed by high winds in the predawn hours of the 16th and I abandoned further attempts.

KEITH BROWN

Changtse. Our joint expedition had nine Chinese: Jin Jun Xi, Wang Yong Feng, Luo Shen, Zhao Yue Min, Chen Jian Jun, Yang Jiu Hui, Sun Yi, Tong Lu and me as leader; and nine Hong Kong members: Zeng Luo, climbing leader, Zhong Jian Min, Zhen Yi Jia, Wu Jia Wei, Luo Wei Qiang, Huang Yan Liang, Chen Zhi An, He Zhi Ming and Ye Jin Wen. We established Base Camp, Advance Base and Camps I, II and III at 5200. 6000, 6300, 6600 and 7000 meters. We wanted to climb Changtse’s north face, where the distance is short, but there were many avalanches. Therefore, we switched to the long but safe northeast ridge. We began the climb on July 1. On July 20, Chinese Wang Yong Feng. Luo Shen and I and Hong Kong climbers Zeng Luo, Zhen Yi Jia and Wu Jia Wei reached the summit.

SUN WEI QI, Chinese Mountaineering Association

Cho Ovu. During three days, several expeditions successfully climbed Cho Oyu via the west ridge and west face from the north. An expedition led by Albert0 Bianchi put Italian Albert Brugger and Luxembourger Roland Zeyen on the summit on September 17. Italian Enrico Ross0 joined with Swiss Mario Casella and Pierino Giuliani to make the climb on September 18. Two others of Casella’s expedition, Michele Capelli and Conrad0 Margna. reached the top on September 19. Mrs. Magda Nos King, a Spaniard living in the United States, Spaniard Setiorita M6nica Verge and Ang Phuri Sherpa climbed to the summit on September 19. (See below.)

ELIZABETH HAWLEY

Cho Oy, First 8000er by Spanish Women. Society in any country is composed of men and women and I believe we have equal responsibilities. In my

CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS, 1989 305

country, Spain, few women participate in high-altitude climbing; I felt I should do something about it. I put together a small group of women with Himalayan experience. Unfortunately, we lacked sponsorship and only Monica Verge and I could get sufficient funds. With Ang Phuri Sherpa we left Kathmandu on August I8 by bus for Kodari. The following morning we drove to Khassa on the Tibetan border. On August 20. we arrived at Tingry and on the 2 I st were at the Chinese Base Camp at 4300 meters. At Tingry we contracted for yaks to take us the three-day walk to our Base Camp at 5400 meters. We wanted to get to the end of the lateral moraine on the Gyabrag Glacier, but the yak men refused to go beyond 5400 meters, where the wind funneled down from the Nangpa La. Monica and I installed Advance Base at 5900 meters on August 30 and Camp I at 6600 meters just below the icefall on September 5. Despite unstable weather, on the 13th we placed Camp II at 7200 meters to the right of the Tichy route. I felt the weather and the snow too unstable and so we returned to Camp I to wait. On September 15. a huge avalanche caught an Italian woman and a Sherpa who were attempting the summit: both survived. The avalanche started at 8000 meters and ran past our tent at Camp II, damaging the tent somewhat. On August IS, we climbed to the rock band at 7700 meters and placed two very light tents under a prominent rock. On August 19, Monica, Ang Phuri and I left camp at five A.M. and were on the summit at 10:45. On the way back to camp, we met the two Swiss, who reached the summit that same day after us.

MAGDA NOS KING, Expedicici Femenina. Spain

Cho Oyu and Shishn Pangmu. 1988. On page 283 of AAJ, 1989, it lists an ascent of Cho Oyu, by Noburu Yamada and three other Japanese on November 6. 1988. Actually there were two other Japanese: Teruo Saegusa and A. Yamamoto. Along with 0. Shimuzu, they had previously, on October 24, 1988, climbed the normal route on Shisha Pangma. These ascents were the eighth and ninth 8OOOers for Yamada. Tragically, Yamada died in late February on Mount McKinley.

Si,gurrnX Ri. We had as members I. Sato, S. Fukuyama, Hideo Takebe. Nobuo Yagi, Dr. H. Tanaka, Hideo Oka, Y. Nishizawa (f), H. Ogura, Takashi Okuda, M. Yagura (f), M. Komatsu, K. Shimoda, TatsuyaOgata, Takashi Miki and me as leader. Siguang Ri lies 5.5 kilometers northeast of Cho Oyu. We left Lhasa. which was under martial law, on March 8 and approached via the Gyabrag Glacier. Our caravan was stopped by snow before we got to Base Camp and we had to use 50 yaks to go on. On March 24, we placed Base Camp at 5480 meters on the moraine of the Gyabrag Glacier and on the 27th, Advance Base at 5800 meters at the junction of the Siguang Ri and Palung Glaciers. On April 3, Camp I was established at the beginning of the route at 6100 meters. There were two steep pitches to reach the crest of the west ridge, nine more pitches to a 6600-meter dome and four more pitches with fixed rope before we could pitch

CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS, I989 307

Camp II at 6800 meters on April 9. It took four more days to fix eight pitches to the junction peak (7010 meters) with the southwest ridge. After two unsuccess- ful tries on April I9 and 20. on April 2 I Okuda and Miki set the first footprints on the top (7308 meters, 23,977 feet). The next day, Takabe, Yagi, Oka and Ogata also made the summit. The most difficult parts were a 200-meter-long knife-edge at 7000 meters and the rocks just below the summit. A full report in Japanese and a photograph appear in fwa To Yuki N” 135, page 28.

KOICHIRO HIROTANI, Osaka University Alpine Club

Shisha Pangma from the Southwest and Nyanang Ri. On a reconnaissance in 1983, Tone Skarja and I made the first ascent of the Ice Tooth, the peak just south of Nyanang Ri. Since then, I have considered Nyanang Ri to be a most convenient peak for acclimatization before the ascent of the southwest face of Shisha Pangma. Unclimbed, it is close to Base Camp and of appropriate altitude (707 I meters, 23,200 feet). We arrived at Base Camp at 5300 meters on October 7. On the 10th. Stane Belak, Filip Bence, Pavle Kozjek and I bivouacked at the foot of the face on a rocky island at 6200 meters. The next day. we climbed the southwest face to the last big notch in the northwest ridge of Nyanang Ri, where we bivouacked at 6850 meters. On October 12, we reached the summit via the west ridge. Only the first I50 meters above the notch gave us some difficulties. After a three-day rest, on October I6 Kozjek and I moved to Advance Base at 5600 meters. A three-hour walk up a broken glacier took us onto the face at 5900 meters. A steep gully led us to the large icefield of the lower face. We started up a gully above the icefield, but a stream of snow and stones forced us around the gully and to the left, where we found the first difficulties on the rock. At the bottom of the buttress. at 7200 meters, we bivouacked. A thin layer of ice and snow made it hard to dig the platform, which sufficed for only half the tent. We spent the night sitting, still roped. Just behind the tent, the face rose steeply. We climbed mostly in ice gullies, often interrupted by time-consuming rock sections and traverses. We left the edge of the buttress at the bottom of a black tower. We crossed far to the left where we placed our second bivouac on a gently-sloping snowfield at 7700 meters. On October 19. we climbed gullies. The face did not give up easily and we climbed steep rock until we were 50 meters from the top. The route ended very close to the actual summit (8027 meters, 26,336 feet). We descended to the col between Shisha Pangma and Pungpa Ri and bivouacked there at 6750 meters. Koz.jek suffered severely frozen feet. We rate the route at UIAA IV to V, 50” to 65”. It is 2 I50 meters high. From October I8 to 20, Bence and Viki GroSelj climbed a route farther right, along the line of the 1982 British descent (with variants), to the southeast ridge. For GroSelj. this was his eighth 8000er. Meanwhile. Belak and Marko Prezelj were attempting a third line, but they had to give up at 6500 meters because of illness. The other members of the party were Tone Skarja. leader, Dr. iare Guzej, Iztok Tomazin and Cameraman Matjai FiStravec.

ANDREJ STREMFELJ, Planinska zveza Slovenije, Yugoslavia

308 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL 1990

Shisha Pungmu. Our expedition consisted of Nobuo Teranishi, M. Hongu, T. Ishikawa, Yoshiyuki Tsuji, Kiyohiko Suzuki, M. Hamatani, H. Koike, Sinji Takamura, M. Fujita, T. Suda, H. Yamaha, H. Kojiri, N. Unno, K. Sato, R. Takahashi and me as leader. We climbed the normal northwest route. We established Base Camp, Camps I, II, III, IV, V, and VI at 5100, 5500, 5700, 6000,6.500,7000 and 7400 meters on March 11,20,26,30, April 6,11, and 14. On April 16 Tsuji, Suzuki and Takamura climbed to the summit.

MICHIO YUASA, Aichigukuin Universie Alpine Club

Shisha Pungmu Tragedy. On October 4, Swiss Dr. Luca Leonardi was nearing the summit of Shisha Pangma and only a few meters away when he was swept away to his death by a windslab avalanche. Further details of this Swiss expedition from Graubiinden and the Ticino are not known.

Nvunchhen Thunglhu Central Peak. Dr. Erika Prokosch, Ursula Bauer, Dr. Erich Bosina, Anna Szalay, Dr. Franz Herzog, Teodor Fritsche, Herwig Schnutt, Gunther and Werner Hiinlinger, Fridl Widder, Karl Wuttke and I as leader crossed from Nepal into Tibet with five Sherpas. Sirdar Tashi Lama’s knowledge of Tibetan allowed us to communicate well with the Tibetan nomads. We were also accompanied by an official of the Chinese Mountaineering Association and were joined by a Tibetan liaison officer. We traveled some 100 kilometers northwest from Lhasa on July 19 to Base Camp at 4800 meters at the entrance to the Pali Sui valley. From a ridge we could see the whole of the Nyanchhen Thanglha massif. The south-southwest ridge of the unclimbed central peak (7117 meters, 23,350feet) stood out as a possible route. The higher western peak (7162 meters, 23,497 feet) had been climbed by a Japanese- Chinese group in 1986. (See AAJ, 1987, pages 298-9, where the name is given as Nianqintangula.) On July 27 we established Camp I at 5 150 meters with the help of six yaks. The next day we reconnoitered to an idyllic spot for Camp II at 5450 meters by a small lake below the glacier. Camp III was placed at 5900 meters on a co1 at the foot of the ridge on July 25. Since time was limited and the weather was unstable, only the strongest members had a chance for the summit. On July 28, a strong north wind drove back the monsoon clouds and brought lovely weather and hard frozen fim snow. Fritsche, Schnutt, both Hijnlingers and I climbed the 1200 vertical meters to the summit. This was a wonderful present for me on my 54th birthday. The others climbed several 6000ers that same day. We traveled back to Lhasa on August I. The name Nyanchhen Thanglha means “Great Saint who looks over the broad plain,” which is very apt.

WOLFGANG AXT, Gsterreichische Himalaya Gesellschufi

Western China

Xueliun Feng, Xinjiung. A Japanese expedition of the Tokai Section of the Japanese Alpine Club was led by Tsutomu Ogawa. They made the first ascent of

CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS. I989 309

the south summit (6527 meters, 2 1,414 feet) of Xuelian Feng but could not get to the main (north) summit. On July 14, Juniichi Shinozaki and Akihito Yamazaki got to this south summit. On July 19, these two with three other climbers repeated the ascent. From the south summit Shinozaki, Yamazaki and Morimoto tried for the main summit but were stopped 160 meters below it after climbing along the ridge for two kilometers. The final ascent of the south summit was made on July 23 by Hidehito Iwabuchi.

Aerjinshun, Kunsu. Thirteen members of a joint Japanese-Chinese expedi- tion led by Kenji Hirasawa made the first ascent of Aerjinshan (5798 meters, 19,023 feet) on August I9 including climbing leader Yoshio Maruyama. The next day, another two got to the top.

Kongur, Northwest Ridge. The expedition was composed of climbing leader Etsuro Yasuda, Tateshi Sudo, Hideo Muto, Junjiro Hori, Yukihiro Enomoto, Chiharu Yoshimura, Kazuhiro Nakato, Shogo Takahashi, Kouichi Tomoda, T. Shimuzu. Sadao Matsuda and me as general chief leader. On June 4, Base Camp was established at 3600 meters on the Kalaidark Glacier above Hozu. It took four weeks to develop the route. Camps were placed at 4850, 5300 and 6250 meters. The lower part of the route was difficult with rock walls, a snow ridge and an icefall. Ropes were fixed above Camp III on the Kusu Iwu (Umbrella Rock) section, the crux of the climb. On July 9, three parties of three climbers each set out from Camp III alpine-style. They bivouacked between 6650 and 6700 meters. After one more bivouac at 7450 meters, on July 1 I all but Shimuzu, Matsuda and I reached the top (7719 meters, 25,325 feet). No signs were seen of the three Japanese climbers who had been lost eight years before when trying the same route. This was the second ascent of Kongur.

RYUICHI KOTANI, Kyoto Kurukorum Club. Jupun

Kongur Tiubie Attempt. An unsuccessful try on the central rib of the southwest face of Kongur Tiubie (7595 meters, 23,278 feet) was made by ten Japanese led by Suichi Torii. Bad weather stopped them at 65 10 meters on the great ice wall above their Camp III at 6200 meters.

Kaxkar Attempt. A 9-member Japanese expedition tried unsuccessfully to climb Kaxkar (6347 meters, 20,824 feet), which lies I5 kilometers south of what the Chinese call Tomur and the Soviets Pik Pobedy. They got to 5200 meters on the southeast side.

Schoolbqs in the Chinese Pumir. Our expedition from Aldenham School approached the Karakol Lakes in China via the Karakoram Highway from Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Although the hiring agreement was for 12 days, the

310 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL 1990

camels deserted us at Atkash, about 24 kilometers east of Karakol. Our plans obviously had to change and we could not cross the Qaratash Pass. We ferried food and equipment for three days to an Advance Base at 4200 meter in the Torbelung valley. We undertook many mini-expeditions while in the area. We ascended two minor peaks, which lie south of the Qaratash Pass. We made a high camp above an extensive moraine on the tongue of a hanging glacier at 4750 meters. On August 7, P 5450 was climbed by Nick Parks, Dr. David Arathoon, Jon Rouach, Crispin Graham, David Kilbom, James Howe], JohnTurner, Owen Williams, Matthew Cobham, Mark Woodroffe, Donna Parks and Stephen Edwards. On August 9, Pamela MacGregor, Nick Parks, Dr. Arathoon and Cobham climbed P 5360.

DAVID MACGREGOR, Aldenham School, Elstree, England

Cholpunlik Mustugh. Kun Lun. Our expedition was composed of Koshi Sasaki. Eiichi Sato, Ichiro Yamagata, Hitoshi Goto, Hirofumi Oe, Toshiaki Yoshioka, Masami Hosaka, Takashi Ota and me as leader. We started from Kashgar with two jeeps and a truck on July 9 and drove to Aksaichin Lake at 4840 meters. We got to Base Camp at 5360 meters on July 19. Chopanlik was still I4 kilometers from Base Camp. We had a very long approach, first up the Valley of Wind and then up the Aksai Glacier, where we established Camps I, II and III at 5790,601O and 6220 meters on July 26,3 I and August 6. We fixed 350 meters of rope beyond Camp III to gain the summit of P 65 IO. We placed Camp IV at 6460 meters on the ridge beyond on August 13. From there we followed the ridge crest over P 6480, P 6490 and P 6449 before dropping onto the West Cholpanlik Glacier. On August 14, Yamgata, Goto and Hosaka climbed to the south ridge and reached the summit of Cholpanlik (6524 meters, 2 I.404 feet). They bivouacked on the descent at 6220 meters.

KAZUO SASAKI, Sendui Ichiko Alpine Club, Jupun

Ulugh Mustugh. A joint expedition of 23 Japanese and 13 Chinese made the second ascent of Ulugh Mustagh. On August 31, six climbers got to the top, including climbing leader Fuminori Furukawa.

Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak) Reconnaissance from the North. There were two Japanese expeditions that approached Gasherbrum I from the Chinese side. The first one conducted by Masaaki Fukushima and Jin Tamada from the Yokohama Alpine Association spent a month looking at possibilities. After arriving at Base Camp on April 30, they went from May 5 to 9 to the Urdok Glacier. On May 13 and 14, they explored the upper part of the Shaksgam River Glacier. From May 18 to 23, they investigated the Sagan Glacier where they could study both sides of the east ridge of Gasherbrum I. They were on the Gasherbrum Glacier and then the East Nakpo Glacier from May 27 to June 1.

CLIMBS AND EXPEDITIONS, I989 311

They found the Gasherbrum Glacier very broken up and many ice towers on the Nakpo. They looked at possible routes on Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and Broad Peak. A second group of I2 from Miayagi Prefecture Alpine Club was led by Hiroshi Yajima. They actually tried to get high on the mountain and reached 6100 meters on the east ridge but gave up on July 9. Yajima was nearly killed in an avalanche and they had several minor accidents.

USSR

Khan Tengri and Pik Pobedy. The 3000-meter-high snow-and-ice north face of Khan Tengri is the highest and most severe wall in the Tien Shan. There are seven routes on the face, but all had been climbed by Soviets in teams of at least six using much material and fixed ropes. Josef Neierka and I were the first to climb this gigantic wall alpine-style. We were on the climb from July 20 to 27, reaching the summit (6995 meters, 22,950 feet) on July 26 (UIAA V, 80”). We had planned to take four days for the ascent but already on the second day the weather turned unfavorable, which slackened our pace considerably. In the lower part we followed the route of the Studentin team and in the upper part that of the Myslovski team. We descended the west ridge to the 5900-meter pass and then to the south to the International Mountaineering Camp on the South Inylcheck Glacier. Seven days after our descent to the camp, Neierka, Miloslav Neuman and I climbed Pik Pobedy (7439 meters, 24,407 feet) over the Diki Pass and Pik Vazha Pshavel. Thus Neuman became the first Czechoslovak and the third non-Soviet climber to become a Snow Leopard. (The other two are Americans.) This title is given to mountaineers who have successfully climbed all the four peaks over 7000 meters in the Soviet Union.

ZOLT.&N DEMJAN, Slovensk$ Horolezec& Zvaz, Czechoslovakia

Pumir Camps, 1988. The Soviet international Pamir camps continue to be popular, providing challenging high-altitude climbing at relatively moderate cost. During the 1988 season, 412 foreign mountaineers from I7 countries in Europe, Asia and America, including Messner, came together in the camps. Pik Lenina (7134 meters, 23,406 feet) was climbed by I19 foreigners, Pik Korzhenevskoy (7105 meters, 23,310 feet) by 65 and the highest in the Soviet Union, Pik Lenina (7483,24,550 feet), by 55. Some teams used difficult routes; ski and paraglider descents were completed. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of illness, mostly high-altitude sickness. The local rescue teams intervened in 45 cases. There were also deaths. For instance, Czechoslovak Dr. Peter Camek was killed on the descent from Pik Chetiriokh. Pik Lenina, climbed by thousands, remains the world’s most popular 7000er. Pik Kommunizma has been climbed by some 2000 mountaineers on more than 20 routes. A new high-standard route with a 8500-foot rise was made in August 1988 via its south face by a Soviet team led by V. Bashkarov.

J~ZEF NYKA, Editor, Taternik, Poland

314 THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL 1990

Pik Leipzig. Near Pik Lenina, there are still rarely visited lower peaks. On August 9, East Germans Ralf Brummer, Wolfgang Hempel, Erhard Klinger and Siegfried Wittig climbed the probably virgin P 5725 (18,783 feet). They completed the ascent from the upper part of the Achik Glacier via the snow plateau at 5 100 meters and then the ridge. Klinger also climbed nearby P 5347 (17,543 feet). The name of Pik Leipzig has been approved by Soviet authorities.

J~ZEF NYKA, Editor, Tuternik, Poland

Czerski Range, 1988. A Czechoslovak expedition climbed in the Czerski Range in eastern Siberia in 1988. (The range was named for a Pole, hence the spelling.) It lies in a remote area with a harsh climate and many unclimbed peaks. The highest, Pobeda (3 147 meters, 10,325 feet) was first climbed in 1966 and had been climbed only once since. Access is difficult with marshy tundra and few roads or maps. The Slovaks, led by Pavol Breier, flew to the Yukutian village of Sassyr and then traveled a day by truck to the pathless wilderness. They established Base Camp on the Leker Glacier at 2000 meters. On July 13, 1988, two pairs made the first ascent of P 3075 (10.068 feet), the second highest in the area. Breier and P. Zelina reached the summit via the southeast ridge (UIAA IV) while V. KinEeS and J. Trst’an climbed the 700-meter-high east face (IV and 55” ice). On July 16, KinEeS and Trst’an climbed a new route in the center of the 800-meter-high north face of Pobeda (IV, 65” ice). A trekking group accompanying them climbed Pobeda from the south and crossed the Buordakh massif. Both the climbers and trekkers then joined and made an exciting 400-kilometer paddle down the Moma River through uninhabited country to Honuu village at the junction of the Moma and Yandigirka rivers.

J~ZEF NYKA, Editor, Tuternik, Poland